


I Love To Live So Pleasantly

by Netgirl_y2k



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, F/F, Fluff, Gen, Swan-Mills Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-26
Updated: 2014-05-26
Packaged: 2018-01-26 16:44:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1695344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Netgirl_y2k/pseuds/Netgirl_y2k
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Henry Swan-Mills likes a girl. Taking her to his moms' coffee shop  for their first sort of date might have been a mistake.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Love To Live So Pleasantly

Henry got off the school bus at the end of the week and fell into step beside Grace. Ava and Nicholas hung back, and Ava made encouraging shooing gestures at Henry. 

"Um," said Henry, when they reached the corner of Grace's street. "My moms own the coffee shop down the street, if you want to...?"

"Oh, um, yes. Only I don't drink coffee."

Henry grinned. "That's okay, neither do I." 

Actually, Henry wasn't allowed to drink coffee yet. It was Regina's rule. A few months ago Emma had let him have a cup of the famously strong espresso she brewed for the shop, and Regina had said, "Good grief, Miss Swan, are you going to add a shot of bourbon for him too?"

Before Henry could add his two cents to that suggestion both his moms had said in unison, "Don't even think about it."

"My mom Regina makes these amazing apple turnovers," Henry told Grace. "Free to friends of mine."

Grace smiled and nodded. Henry glanced over his shoulder to see Nicholas giving him two thumbs up as he led Grace along the street to the _Swan Queen Bakery and Coffee Shop_.

The lettering on the sign was a Pepto-Bismol pink that neither of Henry's moms liked, and which they had spent years bickering about rather than simply painting over it. 

Henry's moms were weird, sometimes. 

The logo was a swan with a crown around its neck. 

"It's like the lamest Game of Thrones sigil ever," said Henry, then wanted to kick himself for sounding like a total dork.

Game of Thrones was an illicit watch, courtesy of Nicholas and Ava's dad and his failure to set up the parental controls on his Netflix account. Regina said that it wasn't age appropriate, and Emma had shrugged and said, "Sorry, kid, you're facing a united front on this one."

To his relief Grace got it. She grinned and said, "I don't know. Swans are pretty fearsome; I've heard they can break a man's arm."

The little bell over the door tinkled as Henry pushed through and held the door open for Grace. 

Regina was behind the counter this afternoon. "Hi, mom," Henry said with a smile. "This is Grace, her family just moved to town, and she's just finished her first week at school. I thought--"

"You thought that two apple turnovers and two hot chocolates were called for. Coming right up."

Grace smiled nervously. "Thanks, Mrs. Swan-Mills."

"Ms. Mills is fine, dear."

Just then Emma came out from the back, grinned at Henry and slipped her arm around Regina's waist. "Your mother denying all connection with me again, kid?"

So then Henry had to introduce Grace all over again, and just when he was wishing for the ground to open up and swallow him, Emma took pity and said, "Grace, why don't you take a seat. Henry will bring your food over."

Emma set about making the hot chocolate; cinnamon for Henry, marshmallows for Grace. "Apple turnovers _and_ hot chocolate? Smooth, kid."

Henry blushed. "It's not like that."

"Excuse me," said Regina, pushing away from the counter and pulling off her apron.

"Mom...?" 

"She'll be fine, Henry. She's just having a little trouble accepting the fact that she can't stop you from growing up forever. I'll talk to her. You go and sit with your friend. Ruby can you take over the counter--?"

Ruby smiled at Henry as she dished up two apple turnovers, Henry smiled back at... well, back at his shoes. Ruby had worked in coffee shop almost since Henry could remember; she used to babysit for him when he was small, and when he was older she'd played Pokémon with him on her breaks. Henry hadn't been able to look her in the eye ever since he'd crept into the back of the shop looking for a snack a few weeks ago, and overheard Regina talking to Ruby about appropriate workplace attire, and how Henry was at an impressionable age.

At their table Grace bit into the apple turnover and said, "Oh, God, this really is delicious."

"I'll tell my mom you said that, she'll like you forever." 

They chatted a bit about school - Grace's teacher was Miss Blanchard, who was Henry's godmother, and apparently a stricter teacher than she was a godparent - and about how she was finding small town life.

"Your parents seem nice," she commented. 

By this time both Henry's moms were back behind the counter; Emma must have smoothed Regina's ruffled feathers about Henry noticing the existence of girls. Emma turned with a full coffeepot in hand, and almost spilled it on Regina. 

"Do be careful, Miss Swan!"

"Sorry, Your _Majesty_."

"But--" added Grace carefully "--why do they talk to each other like that?'

"I _think_ ," said Henry, "that it's their way of saying they love each other."

Henry and Grace shared a _parents-are-weird_ grin. 

"So," asked Grace, "which of them is your _mom_ mom?"

"They're both my moms."

"Sorry, I didn't mean--"

"It's okay, I know what you meant."

Henry had never had much interest in the circumstances surrounding his conception - even less since Nicholas had started teasing him about turkey-basters. He knew that Emma was his birth mom, and that was why he had her chin and her ears, but that he shared more of Regina's mannerisms. Something that sometimes caused Emma to throw her arms up in despair and say, "She got you to imprint on her, your mother's an evil genius!" 

But beyond that Henry had never felt much of a need to ask. When he was very small his moms had told him a bedtime story about a magical kingdom, an evil (when it was Emma telling the story) misunderstood (when it was Regina) queen, a saviour, and an infant prince. 

Henry was _thirteen_ now; of course he didn't believe that he was the lost prince of a fairytale land. But somewhere in the back of his mind there lived a shadowy figure called dad, who he thought he might like to know more about someday soon. 

But perhaps his questions could wait a few more months. He'd already traumatised his moms enough with his discovery that girls were much more interesting than he'd previously thought. 

"Can I walk you home?" Henry asked Grace.

"Sure."

As the door was swinging closed behind them Henry looked back into the shop. Emma was giving him the thumbs up, just like Nicholas had; she elbowed Regina in the ribs, Henry's other mom rolled her eyes and called, "Be back in time for dinner." 

Henry gave his parents a cheerful wave. "Promise!"


End file.
